Diversinet Corp., a leader in security software for wireless e-commerce applications, today announced the general availability of the world's first Digital Permit(tm) Server specifically designed for wireless as well as wireline applications. The Digital Permit Server Version 2.0 takes security for resource-constrained devices, such as pagers, cellular phones and smart cards, to a new level of flexibility and control.
The Digital Permit Server issues Digital Permits(tm) that carry privileges or permissions for users. Digital Permits are secure tokens that could carry information wireless and wireless applications, such as banking, e-commerce, health care plan entitlements, digital coupons, and eligibility for government programs.
The Digital Permit Server Version 2.0 is a uniquely flexible security tool that helps bridge the wireless and wireline world of security as well as providing valuable enhancements to Public-Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology. The server enables wireless and wireline network operators, content providers and corporations to establish a variety of parameters that authorize end users to remotely access databases and services.
The server allows permissions based on such criteria as time, date, monetary value and type of information. "Diversinet's authorization product is a very innovative technology that allows us to introduce the concept of privileges or permissions with any application" said Rajiv Muradia, Senior Manager of Product Development at Nortel Networks. "Diversinet provides a creative and simple way to provide transaction level privileges, such as loyalty points, in a secure environment."
A financial institution, for example, would be able to specify that a wireless user could access four accounts checking, savings and two credit cards - to transfer a maximum of $2,000 up to twice a day for a period of six months. By enabling businesses to easily establish detailed authorization parameters for accessing data and conducting transactions, the Digital Permit Server provides a powerful way to increase efficiency, flexibility and control.
The Digital Permit Server is especially valuable for wireless applications because access to services must be efficiently tailored to the bandwidth-limited environment.
The Digital Permit Server works in conjunction with Diversinet's Passport Certificate Server. The Certificate Server, which is also optimized for wireless devices (including the de facto wireless data standard, the Wireless Application Protocol), provides digital certificates for authenticating end users and service providers.
The Digital Permit Server works with Diversinet's own wireless certificates as well as the much larger X.509-based certificates which are used worldwide for landline applications. As a result, the Diversinet Digital Permit Server helps bridge the wireline and wireless world by adding wireless functionality to X.509 certificates.
Diversinet's dual-mode approach of offering separate but integrated - certificates and digital permits offers several important advantages.
Digital certificates typically include only the most basic authentication data because they must be compatible with all applications. Even if compatibility was not a problem, the third-party Certificate Authorities that guarantee the accuracy of data in digital certificates do not know the access requirements of companies issuing the certificates.
As a result, certificates don't allow content providers, carriers and corporations to provide the detailed levels of access and control that's important for many applications, especially for the latest generation of wireless services, such as banking, stock trading, shopping and auctions.
With Diversinet's approach, digital certificates and permits complement and enhance each product's capabilities to provide a total bandwidth-efficient security solution. For example, digital certificates and digital permits may have different expiration dates. The certificate could be set to expire in one year, while each permit could be set with a different expiration date and different access levels based on the application. Additionally, multiple permits can be issued to a single digital certificate, providing for highly granular permission levels in access control-type applications. Lastly, digital permits are highly portable, as the issuer can provide privileges that are redeemed or used outside of the issuer's domain.
The Diversinet Digital Permit Server also complements and enhances world-standard PKI security software, which generally doesn't provide the functionality of digital permits.
"Diversinet's pioneering work developing products
specifically for wireless and other resource-limited devices enables us right
now to truly raise security to a new level," says Nagy Moustafa, the
president and CEO of Diversinet. "Diversinet's unique, patented approach to
security will create new markets for us around the world in wireless and
wireline e-commerce," he says.
About Diversinet Corp.
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